Adam Ant @ Roundhouse - December 20, 2018

On a recent show in London with my usual concert buddy, we saw a poster for the upcoming Adam Ant shows at the Roundhouse. We laughed about it and then, being drunk, proceeded to sing Adam and the Ant songs all the way home, with requisite dance moves thrown in from time to time. You know, the signature Adam Ant sexy skip-in-place move.

We joked about it a few more times: "It would be so fun, but oh my god we can't!" "It's too expensive just for the nostalgia." And so on. But a few weeks later, she texted to say a job she had lined up in December fell through and why don't we just go for it.

We both were on the cusp of being teenagers during Ant's big years with the Ants and then as a solo artist. We couldn't resist the thought of getting to see the man himself live, and particularly seeing Stand and Deliver, Antmusic and Dog Eat Dog played. The opportunity had to be seized.

Not interested in the openers, we arrived to a packed floor full of 30- to 60-somethings all holding their ground with fierce determination. There was none of the squeezing-down-front possible that is our usual M.O., at least not until much later. We began by finding a fairly okay viewpoint on the left flank and were pleased to see the two drum kits set up speaking of faithfulness to the old Ant sound.

The crowd ratio was more male than we expected, making it about 50-50. But we noticed with amusement how many couples there were and how many of the (let's be honest) middle-aged women were dressed to the nines and looking hot. We speculated that this event would be a good early-date litmus test for a prospective mate, but once the show started we were surprised by just how many of the (straight-looking) men were really into the show. Assumptions...

We were similarly surprised and delighted by how much energy Adam Ant had throughout the entire show. He came out looking dapper in his recent-years look of straw hat, bandana and all-leather, and still as slim as ever. And I was truly thrilled by all his moves, the aforementioned skip, the 360-twirl, the air-sucked-through-teeth face, the flashing eyes. It didn't strike me at all as pastiche, but genuinely his natural performing mannerisms. He's lost little of his aloof charm as an entertainer.

The jacket was removed part-way through the set to reveal one of his own tour shirts. In fact the whole band, bar the female drummer, was wearing the same, which I thought was a bit much. But I guess we know who would call the shots on and off-stage.  Despite the double drums, on one song (wish I could remember which) two of the guitarists picked up marching snare drums to really pump the percussion up to the max. At about this time, Ant also gave a shout-out to the punk legend Jordan, his early manager, who was in attendance somewhere on the balcony.

The setlist was heavy with older material and each song elicited cheers of excitement from different parts of the audience. People clearly had their favourites they were there to hear. Unfortunately, the crowd were pretty unanimated. Certainly zero mosh pits appeared. There was very little movement, as no one would allow people through; mostly just dancing in place. My friend and I jumped up and down to Stand and Deliver, but I think we were the only ones.

All in all, a good night's entertainment, and a good time reliving some of those amazing songs that blew my young mind apart, all those years ago.

Setlist:
Plastic Surgery
Dog Eat Dog
Vive Le Rock
It Doesn't Matter
Friend or Foe
Antmusic
Beat My Guest
Ants Invasion
Killer in the Home
Lady
Fall-In
Room at the Top
Desperate But Not Serious
Cartrouble
Prince Charming
Zerox
Whip In My Valise
Strip
Puss 'n Boots
Kings of the Wild Frontier
Christian D'or
Stand and Deliver
Encore:
Goody Two Shoes
Red Scab
Physical (You're So)

Gang of Four @ 100 Club - October 5, 2018

What did I expect of the 100 Club, or of Gang of Four?

I knew the 100 Club would be small and I was right. I expected gritty, bare and very basic. Pretty much. More basic, than overly gritty. I was surprised to see a massive pillar dividing the floor directly in front of the stage, effectively splitting the crowd in two. I was also surprised by how close we were to the band. So close. Almost too intimate. (It was weird repeatedly meeting Andy Gill's eyes.)

Based on videos of live performances I'd seen, we found a spot to the right side in front of where Andy Gill positions himself  which was perfect. We were close enough that we could see the whole stage to our left as well.

Draped behind the stage was a curtain blocking the 100 Club lettering I expected from photos. Video were projected here making the show atmospheric.

They opened with Anthrax, all squealing guitar and feedback and any doubts I had about seeing an old band milking their history disappeared. The bass and drums were turned way up for the whole show, which worked great. The bass player, Thomas McNeice, particularly impressed me.

After Not Great Men the setlist hit a bit of a lull for four or five tracks, including some unfamiliar tracks to me. Gill acknowledged this by saying something like "that's it for the slow stuff". The rest of the setlist was riveting though, beginning particularly with Natural's Not in It.

Gill seemed serious and a bit crotchedy throughout the show. I hate to say it, but he looked more like my posh, aging wine merchant than an art punk, but I'll give him every benefit of the doubt cuz of all the great music he's produced. I did notice some snark between him and the much younger singer. Gill made a comment about him 'taking notes'. A bit later the singer retorted with a Butlins jab that didn't seem to please Gill.

I have to say, John "Gaoler" Sterry, the singer, seemed a total visual mis-fit with my idea of the band. More Duran Duran than Gang of Four. His pretty boy looks were played up by his floppy blond hair and mildly arrogant performance. However, his voice was an excellent fit, letting one enjoy the songs rather than be distracted by a voice totally different from Jon King. Unfortunately he wasn't so much focused on his performance as looking at the other band members too much, particularly Gill; possibly his insecurity. Who knows? I chose to mostly focus on Gill and listen to the performance which was tight and energetic.


The encore began with He'd Send in the Army where Sterry went to town on a microwave that was brought onstage, first with a stick and then with a guitar neck. When I looked this up later, I found this is a frequent live performance piece of theatre of theirs. It was a fitting addition for a band whose sound is industrial, modern and edgy.

After the short 2-song encore and the house lights coming on, it looked to me like their roadie/tech guy was trying to signal "time" to the sound guy and Gill looked as though he was slightly limping as they left the stage for the second time. I had taken a shot of the setlist taped to the floor, but figured they weren't following it to the letter. So, we bailed, and found out after the fact that they played one more encore to the remaining 1/2 of the audience: I Found That Essence Rare. Damn it.

My love of Gang of Four goes way back to a Fast Product EP re-released sometime around 1982, but I probably found it a couple years after that. Gang of Four contributed 3 tracks: Damaged Goods, Love Like Anthrax and Armalite Rifle. Still 3 of my favourites tracks of theirs, and they instantly became a defining sound for me and my maturing tastes. A few years later, in probably '89 I finally bought entertainment! It still floors me at how their early songs are so urgent and undated. Damn I love that album. So hearing well over half of it played live was a huge thrill.  I jumped around accordingly with very little company among the older crowd and enjoyed myself immensely.

Setlist:
(Love Like) Anthrax
Where the Nightingale Sings
Not Great Men
Isle of Dogs
Ivanka (Things You Can't Have)
I Parade Myself
Paralysed
What We All Want
Natural's Not In It
Lucky
Damaged Goods
Why Theory?
I Love a Man in a Uniform
At Home He's a Tourist
To Hell With Poverty
Encore:
He'd Send in the Army
Ether
Encore 2:
I Found That Essence Rare